Eaton Park
Park
69 acres3.2 mi of trail
Eaton Canyon TrailCanyon View Trail4 Bridges TrailHawk Hill Trail+1
Dogs allowed
Directionsto the trail sign
Photo: CityofSanCarlos · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in San Carlos
San Carlos has 9.5 miles of mapped trails, 1.8 for every square mile of land
97% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Eaton Park (3.2 mi), Big Canyon Park (2.6 mi), Arguello Park (1.2 mi). 5% of San Carlos’ land is conserved, about 182 acres.
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns · #287 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
182 acres · of 5.4 sq mi of land
Trails
9.5 mi
1.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
227 ac
7.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
12 mi
8.9 mi lanes · 1.1 mi paths
Highest peak
561 ft
Belmont Hill
What kind of outdoors town is San Carlos?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does San Carlos have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, San Carlos is ahead of 80% of U.S. towns, #287 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of San Carlos’ overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%BTrails1.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land7.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (227 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 80%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 66%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Eaton Park, with 3.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Big Canyon Park
Park
64 acres2.6 mi of trail
Harold Drake TrailOak Meadow Loop TrailArching Oak TrailCyprus Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Arguello Park
Park
23 acres1.2 mi of trail
Sherwood Forest Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
North Crestview Park
Park
4 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Hidden Canyon Park
Managed by City of Belmont Parks and Recreation Department
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Rambler TrailOhlone TrailFinch Trail
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Eaton Park69 acres · 3.2 mi of trail
DirectionsBig Canyon Park64 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsArguello Park23 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNorth Crestview Park4 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
Crestview Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsHidden Canyon Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Belmont Parks and Recreation Department
Highlands Park12 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHeather Park11 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsChilton Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Laureola Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVista Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
E R Burton Park12 acres
DirectionsCedar Street Park1 acres
Who protects it
182 conserved acres
5% of San Carlos’ land. Who manages San Carlos’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city181 ac
Local Park · 181 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaton Park Local Park | Town or city | 65 | Open |
| Big Canyon Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Highlands Park Local Park | Town or city | 17 | Open |
| Arguello Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Burton Park Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Crestview Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Vista Park Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Heather Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Laureola Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Cedar Street Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
1 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
23 places to go in San Carlos
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in San Carlos
Arguello Park PlaygroundIn Arguello Park
DirectionsCedar Street Park PlaygroundIn Cedar Street Park
DirectionsHighlands Park PlaygroundIn Highlands Park
DirectionsHillcrest Circle Park PlaygroundIn Hillcrest Circle Park
DirectionsSplash Pad (Seasonal)In E R Burton Park
DirectionsToddler PlaygroundIn E R Burton Park
DirectionsPlus 7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in San Carlos
City Dog Hall Park
DirectionsCity Hall Dog Park
DirectionsScenic views in San Carlos
Top of the World
DirectionsPeaks in San Carlos
Belmont Hill561 ft elevation
DirectionsBrittan Knoll207 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in San Carlos
Lunch Area 1
DirectionsLunch Area 2
DirectionsPlus 3 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 2.4 mi
Harold Drake Trail1.0 mi
Eaton Canyon Trail0.8 mi
Oak Meadow Loop Trail0.7 mi
Canyon View Trail0.4 mi
4 Bridges Trail0.4 mi
Arching Oak Trail0.2 mi
Hawk Hill Trail0.2 mi
Eaton Trail0.2 mi
Cyprus Trail0.2 mi
Rambler Trail0.2 mi
5 more trails
Highland Park
0.2 miSherwood Forest Trail
0.1 miHawk Hill Bypass
0.1 miLamchin Trail
0.1 miVista Trail
0.1 miBiking & sports
12 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.9 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.1 mi
off-road bike paths
2.4 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
20Tennis
9Baseball
7Basketball
3Soccer
3Multi-sport
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →3 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in San Carlos: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.8 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 | 14.7 | 14.5 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 61 | 64 | 67 | 71 | 76 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 74 | 65 | 59 |
| Rain (in) | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 4.5 |
July is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 4.5 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in San Carlos →
Next door
San Carlos and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Carlos | 5% | 1.8 | 8 | 97% | A− |
| Redwood City | 42% | 0.7 | 7 | 96% | A− |
| Belmont | 11% | 4.7 | 12 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in San Carlos
Where can I hike in San Carlos?
The longest trail networks: Eaton Park, 3.2 miles; Big Canyon Park, 2.6 miles; Arguello Park, 1.2 miles; North Crestview Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of San Carlos is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on San Carlos’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Eaton Park, Arguello Park (on leash) and Hidden Canyon Park (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in San Carlos?
12 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.9 of painted or protected lanes, 1.1 of off-road paths and 2.4 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near San Carlos?
28,736 acres of parks and open public land lie inside San Carlos or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 227 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does San Carlos have?
Ahead of 80% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #287 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from San Carlos neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →